No abstract

Background and purpose: N-arachidonoyl-serotonin (AA-5-HT) is an inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)-catalysed hydrolysis of the endocannabinoid/ endovanilloid compound, anandamide (AEA). We investigated if AA-5-HT antagonizes the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) channel and, as FAAH and TRPV1 are targets for analgesic compounds, if it exerts analgesia in rodent models of hyperalgesia. Experimental approach: AA-5-HT was tested in vitro, on HEK-293 cells overexpressing the human or the rat recombinant TRPV1 receptor, and in vivo, in rats and mice treated with formalin and in rats with chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve. The levels of the endocannabinoids, AEA and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, in supraspinal (periaqueductal grey, rostral ventromedial medulla), spinal or peripheral (skin) tissues were measured. Key results: AA-5-HT behaved as an antagonist at both rat and human TRPV1 receptors (IC 50 ¼ 37-40 nM against 100 nM capsaicin). It exerted strong analgesic activity in all pain models used here. This activity was partly due to FAAH inhibition, elevation of AEA tissue levels and indirect activation of cannabinoid CB 1 receptors, as it was reversed by AM251, a CB 1 antagonist. AA-5-HT also appeared to act either via activation/desensitization of TRPV1, following elevation of AEA, or as a direct TRPV1 antagonist, as suggested by the fact that its effects were either reversed by capsazepine and 5'-iodoresiniferatoxin, two TRPV1 antagonists, or mimicked by these compounds administered alone. Conclusions and implications: Possibly due to its dual activity as a FAAH inhibitor and TRPV1 antagonist, AA-5-HT was highly effective against both acute and chronic peripheral pain.

No abstract

Replacement of the carboxylic acid group of prostaglandin (PG) F 2␣ with a nonacidic moiety, such as hydroxyl, methoxy, or amido, results in compounds with unique pharmacology. Bimatoprost (AGN 192024) is also a pharmacologically novel PGF 2␣ analog, where the carboxylic acid is replaced by a neutral ethylamide substituent. Bimatoprost potently contracted the feline lung parenchymal preparation (EC 50 value of 35-55 nM) but exhibited no meaningful activity in a variety of PG-sensitive tissue and cell preparations. Its activity seemed unrelated to FP receptor stimulation according to the following evidence. 1) Bimatoprost exhibited no meaningful activity in tissues and cells containing functional FP receptors. 2) Bimatoprost activity in the cat lung parenchyma is not species-specific because its potent activity in this preparation could not be reproduced in cells stably expressing the feline FP receptor. 3) Radioligand binding studies using feline and human recombinant FP receptors exhibited minimal competition versus [3 H]17-phenyl PGF 2a for Bimatoprost. 4) Bimatoprost pretreatment did not attenuate PGF 2␣ -induced Ca 2ϩ signals in Swiss 3T3 cells. 5) Regional differences were apparent for Bimatoprost but not FP agonist effects in the cat lung. Bimatoprost reduced intraocular pressure in ocular normotensive and hypertensive monkeys over a 0.001 to 0.1% dose range. A single-dose and multiple-dose ocular distribution/metabolism studies using [ 3 H]Bimatoprost (0.1%) were performed. Within the globe, bimatoprost concentrations were 10-to 100-fold higher in anterior segment tissues compared with the aqueous humor. Bimatoprost was overwhelmingly the predominant molecular species identified at all time points in ocular tissues, indicating that the intact molecule reduces intraocular pressure.Eicosanoids and related fatty acids have long been the subject of extensive investigation. More recently, it has become apparent that the corresponding neutral lipids exist for several fatty acids (Devane et al

Dexamethasone-induced OHT in mice mimics hallmarks of human SIG within 4 weeks of DEX treatment. The correlation between reduced C and newly formed ECM motivates further study using DEX-treated mice to investigate the pathogenesis of conventional outflow obstruction in glaucoma.